June 7: Chamber of Commerce Taste of Louisville and Taste Half-Marathon (Downtown and throughout town)

June 7: Touch A Truck

June 8: Sonic Boom Bike Race (Downtown)

June- August (Fridays): Street Faire (Downtown)

June 3-Sept. 9 (Tuesdays): Buona Sera Evening Market

Summer (7 Wednesdays): Movies and Food Trucks in Community Park

June-Mid-October: Farmers' Market (Downtown)

June 12, 19, 26 and July 10 and 17: Summer Concerts in the Park (Community Park)

June 14 and 21, July 12: Dolphins Swim Meets (Memory Square Park)

July 4: 5K/10K run

Aug. 10: La Festa (Memory Square Park)

Sept. 1: Fall Festival (Memory Square Park)

Sept. 1: Annual Labor Day Parade (Main Street)

Sept. 27: Chamber of Commerce Harvest Festival (Community Park)

Dec. 5: Chamber of Commerce Parade of Lights (Main Street)

Source: City of Louisville

Is Louisville getting ready to roll up the welcome mat for those hoping to stage events in the heart of the city?

Tuesday night, the City Council will consider whether to pursue a moratorium on the issuance of permits for any new events downtown or at Community Park.

The possible ban, which city officials admit is the most extreme option out of a number of possibilities being put before council, has become part of the discussion due to the explosive number and variety of events — from running races to bike races to outdoor movies to farmers' markets — staged in the city in the last few years.

While the burst in activity has certainly been good for business in this city of 19,000, the on-the-ground reality hasn't been all positive.

Neighbors have cried foul about the noise level at concerts in Community Park, complained about trash dumped on front lawns and bellyached about visitors taking up every last parking space in their neighborhoods.

The city also has received complaints about its decision to give permits to events, like food trucks, that compete with local restaurants and allow events sponsored by one business to use the street in front of another business.

"Given the concern we've heard from neighbors downtown and around Community Park, we need to know what direction we're headed in before we start permitting more events for the year," said Meredyth Muth, a spokeswoman with the city. "What makes sense for us?"

Full schedule already

Already the city has a lengthy list of summer events scheduled for 2014, including Buona Sera Evening Market on Tuesdays, movies and food trucks in the park on Wednesdays, summer concerts in the park on Thursdays, the Downtown Street Faire on Fridays, and a farmers' market on Saturdays.

That doesn't include one-offs such as the Sonic Boom bike race and Taste of Louisville in June, the Fall Festival in September and the Parade of Lights in December.

Muth said while there were 16 permitted events in Louisville in 2008, last year there were 27. The city collected $4,200 in licensing fees from event promoters in 2013.

"We don't have dedicated staff to head out every weekend and check on special events," she said.

At the same time, Muth said, the council will consider potential solutions to event fatigue that aren't as drastic as a moratorium. Those recommendations include restricting the hours for music and movies at Community Park, only allowing events sponsored or promoted by the city or civic organizations, and limiting the number of event operators per venue.

The city has tried to lure event promoters to the Centennial Valley along McCaslin Boulevard to take some of the pressure off of downtown, but to little avail.

"What we're hearing is that the area along McCaslin lacks walkability and has no central facility or park at which to host an event," Muth said.

'When is enough enough?'

Mayor Pro Tem Hank Dalton, who said he doesn't favor a moratorium on new event permitting, said Tuesday night's discussion is meant to get the ball rolling on the way to best make the city a welcoming place for cultural, athletic and artistic endeavors without making life miserable for the people who live there.

"I think (the moratorium) is in there to stimulate the discussion, but I don't think it makes sense to impose such a thing," he said. "I think there's a balance to be achieved."

Jim Tienken, president of the Louisville Downtown Business Association, also opposes a moratorium on future events. As long as the city can make progress with its parking action plan and keep lines of communication open with residents, he said event fatigue is a manageable problem.

He cited the Street Faire, entering its 11th year this summer, as an "economic engine" for downtown with its enormous crowds and high-profile musical acts. Tienken said other events can have a similar — if smaller —- effect on the downtown Louisville business scene.

But not at the expense, he said, of those who call the city home.

"The next question is when is enough enough and when is enough too much?" he said.

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